


We'll be fine

by ElopeToTheSea



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Sburb Session, Beta Kids Friendship - Freeform, Multi, beta kids - Freeform, but still cruel, ships start a little further in the fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-29
Updated: 2017-03-25
Packaged: 2018-04-11 21:39:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4453364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElopeToTheSea/pseuds/ElopeToTheSea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They stand in the end of the world, like legends. </p><p>There are those who think they are angels, there are those who think they are demons. Most think they are saviours, some others like to think they came here to doom the world. </p><p>The truth? They just want to go home. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>AU Where the Beta Kids see the apocalypse, yet can't do anything to prevent it. Because this isn't a game, this is a war they don't take part of. But they do suffer the consequences of it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Stay Awake

**Author's Note:**

> I'm in love with the Beta Kids, I wanted to create something where they fight together.

You hear a loud sound next door. Maybe yelling, and screaming, like always, and someone trying to save their lives. You hoped that they were lucky, and that they were strong. You wished them to escape, and not end up like you did.  


All that hope is vanished, when the door opens, bright lights hurting your eyes, and a loud scream hurting your ears. As expected, they threw the body inside, like it were a rag doll. It hit the floor hard enough for there to be a serious wound they wouldn’t treat. As fast as they tossed it inside, they closed the door. Not giving you even the chance to look outside.

You don’t dare look up. This person is not moving, so maybe they’re dead too. You wonder if maybe they are actually lucky, and died. Again, it’s useless.

The body stirs.

“Hey.” You say weakly. You don’t usually speak to others. Either because they are dead, or because they don’t let you.

Before they can answer, they make a gagging noise. They’re fighting the urge to puke. It’s normal. The inside of this place smells like everything. Sweat, blood, death, even sex. Everything mixed together, the horrible smell always makes people puke. But, this person is strong enough. Not only they didn’t puke, but with a faint smile and tears in their eyes, they return your greeting

This makes you feel a little happy.

 “Hey…” They say with their voice a bit strained, but it's good enough. You offer them your hand so they can sit up. They pause for a moment before taking it, fighting the urge to gag. There is not enough space for both of you to stand up, so they simply sit with you. “Where are we?”

You shrug.

“I don’t know. Last thing I remember from the outside was my house, an island in the pacific. Some people broke into my house, and before I knew it I was knocked out. Surely, I must be miles away from there, by now.”

“How awful.” The boy frowns. “You are really far, far away from your home.”

You shrug again.

“So are you, right?”

He grins a bit, yet it’s broken. Before long, he sighs, eyes sad even in the dim light.

“Yeah, I think so…” He stares at the door, maybe hoping for it to open. But you know better. It won’t open. Not for a good reason, at least. “How long have you’ve been here?” He asks.

You stare at the ceiling. Even if you know better, you still wish. You close your eyes, dreaming of the sun in your skin. It’s been so long since you last felt it, but probably not so much really. It’s not easy to count time in a cell.

“Dunno.” You say, and you look at him. “Time is weird in here.”

He nods. He understands, you guess.

“Last thing you saw on the news?”

You think a little. Grandpa had a radio, and a tv in the bedroom, although you didn’t watch it all that often. You used to use the computer a lot more, actually. And more than anything, it was to talk with friends or play video games online. You weren’t one of watching news.

But you do remember, one evening, sitting beside grandpa. Beck was playing with you, and he was watching the tv. You remember the gasp of horror, and the sudden commotion, that made Beck run away and hide under the table. You remember catching a glance of the tv, before grandpa suddenly turned it off. He, with an overly happy smile, told you about a hunting trip. You, for those moments, completely forgot about the news. You went out and played. You caught your first bird, unharmed, and finally hit the apple on the tree.

Until this moment, so it is.

“ I think there was a drought in some European country…” You say frowning a little bit.

He was frowning too, you noted. There was panic in his eyes too.

“You’ve been here for a very long time…”

“How much do you think?”

“Two months…Probably three.”

You can’t believe your ears.

“No way.” You shiver. “It can’t be.”

You can’t believe it. You know a lot of time has passed, but not so long. You still feel the grass, and the warmth of Beck when he slept besides you. You still hear your grandpa’s jokes, and his laugh that seemed to reach the deepest parts of the island.

You still hear the screams. The promises, that he would come and help you.

What if something happened to him?

Why hasn’t he come? Why hasn’t he helped you?

“Hey, hey…Come here.” The boy reaches to you, gently. You didn’t realize you were having trouble breathing, until his heartbeat reaches your ears. Slower and quieter than your own breaths. You press your head against his chest, and you feel better instantly. It had been a long time since you last felt such warmth. Not cold, or fake. Not filled with pain, but ease. “Everything will work out, just fine. I promise.”

“How can you be so sure?” You ask on the verge of crying.

“I can’t.” He answers, and you hear his voice break a little. “But, hey! I have the feeling; this is not how we are supposed to end...”

It tightens your chest the way he keeps telling you nice things, even with how everything is turning.

“I want to rest…” You say against him.

“Oh, of course. You must be really tired.” He says, and shifts his weight. He moves you a little, so your head is resting on his shoulder, and your legs are over his lap. “Is it comfortable?”

“Yeah…It is.” You say softly, and lean against him. You were meaning another thing. You wanted to take a rest from everything, but this is fine too.

You close your eyes, and dream.

Well, you don’t actually dream. You are too tired to do so.

When you wake up, the boy is still in the cell. He’s sleeping too, just beside you. He feels you wake up, and he does too.

“Are you feeling fine?” He asks, and you nod. “Good. What do you do here for fun?”

You explain to him, that you don’t actually do ‘things for fun’; you just wait in cell, until they bring you food, or…someone.

“Someone? Like, a cell partner?”

“Not that kind of partner…” You mutter. You don’t want talk about that. He doesn’t seem to catch this.

“So, what kind of partner?”

“Nothing interesting, really.” You change the subject quickly. “Doesn’t matter. Where do you come from?”

He seems a little taken a back from your harsh tone. But quickly smiles, his little sad smile, and begins talking.

“Washington. That’s where my dad was.”

“Really?” You decide to talk about something, not so tragic. “Did you meet the president?”

“No. I never got the chance to go to the White House... And in school it always was about, learning capitals. So boring. I don’t know why they never taught us something important like, who would win in a battle against Godzilla and the King Kong.”

“Oh, obviously it would be King Kong.” You roll your eyes and smile. “There is no discussion in this.”

“Yeah, I know right?” He laughs a little. “I had a friend who swore Godzilla would!”

“He must be mad!” You laugh a little with him too. “King Kong.” You say.

“King Kong.” He agrees, and grins.

There is a weird noise outside the room.

“You hear that?” He whispers, and comes closer to you.

“Don’t move.” You whisper back. You cover his mouth with your hand. The noises keep coming, and you know what they are. You hear laughs, and screams. The boy maybe didn’t realize what they were. When you first came here, it took you a lot to understand too.

You prayed, to whoever heard, to whatever was willing to do something that they didn’t come in here.

You hear a door opening and a boy screaming, but yours didn’t. The grip over the boy’s mouth tightened, scared that they would hear you. That they would come in here. It takes some time, before the screams stop. It takes you even longer to start relaxing, and letting go of the boy’s mouth.

“What was-?” He doesn’t even finish he sentence. You look at his eyes, and see terror. His skin is brown, yet he looks as pale as a ghost, and there are tears in his eyes.

“Sorry.” You say, and offer him a small smile. He tries to give it back, but it’s not easy for him, right now.

“Why are you sorry?” He asks confused.

“For everything, I guess…” You shrug.

“Don’t be.” He says. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t lock me up in here, did you?”

“Still…” You mutter.

 “Don’t be so down…” He tells you with a smile. Broken, but it’s sincere. “Everything is just shitty.”

“I know. But don’t worry. I won’t let them hurt you, ok?” You say, and give him a kind smile. You wonder how long he’s gone through without someone giving him one. When tears start forming in his eyes again, you realize it’s been a lot.

“But I don’t want you to get hurt either.” He looks away, trying to dry his tears. You continue smiling, a weird warmth forming inside of you. You take his hands from his eyes.

“Then, you’ll protect me too?” You ask grinning. He grins too, and nods.

“I will.” He says.

“The it’s a promise.” You hold your pinky in the air. Maybe it’s childish, but you always did it with your grandfather, and it means a lot to you. He smiles. A small, but warm smile, you didn’t know someone could have.

“A promise.” He holds your pinky with his own, and starts moving it up and down.

You both let go of each other’s finger, at the same time.

“Are you feeling fine?” He asks you. You nod, but flinch when he touches your arm. “Thought so.”

He frowns, and asks you to stand up. You try to tell him that is nothing much, but he still doesn’t listen. He rolls up your sleeve, carefully, and lets out a gasp, when he sees your bruises.

“You’re worrying too much.” You tell him, but he shakes his head.

“This is serious.” He says frowning. You can’t really do much, inside the cell. “I need to find something to heal it with…”

You shrug.

“There’s nothing we can do about that.”

He’s angry, at least you think so. He doesn’t seem the type to get angry easily, though.

“This is so unfair…” He sighs.

“Yes…Really, unfair.” You don’t dare to look at him in the eyes.

“Oh, Shit.” You hear him say. He gets up as fast, as he’s able with all the cuts and bruises he has. “You need another thing to wear.”

You are confused, when he runs to the pile of old clothes at the other side of the room. You look down, to see your dress. It’s dirty, and no longer clean, like it’s to be expected.  You don’t understand his panic at first, until you realize the dried blood in the back of your dress.

You blush, a weird feeling surging in your chest. Is uncomfortable, and makes you feel violated.

He is blushing too, but decides to concentrate on searching another thing for you to wear. You try to remember something. You are sure there is a reason why you didn’t go near the pile of clothing in first place.

You watch him take a lot of old shirts, and pants, trying to find something that might fit you. He grabs a shirt, it’s black and you don’t even have the chance to guess if it might fit you, because as soon as he pulled it from the pile, his cheerful smile turned into a horrendous face. Frightened, repulsed, suddenly you remember why you didn’t go to the pile in first place. You scream at him to come back, but he doesn’t hear you. You run as fast as you can, and take his arms, pulling him to the other side of the room.

“Breathe.” You say. Your voice is weak, because you caught a glimpse of what was under the pile. There are tears in your eyes, and you are able to fight the urge to gag. He can’t.

You take a step back, trying not to look at how he is puking on the floor.

He’s terrified, and he’s crying. He keeps puking, but you are sure there is no food for him to puke. Everything is acid, and tears. It smells so horrible, you might have puked right there too, if it hadn’t been for the things you had already seen, and your even emptier stomach.

Finally, you decide to put your hand on his back.

“There, there.” You pat his back, and he clings to you.  He’s shivering, but it’s to be expected. “Don’t worry, I’m here. No one can hurt you, if I’m here.”

It was his first time seeing a corpse after all.

“This is so gross…”He hiccups, and tries to calm the tears down. You hug him and pat his head instead. His head is resting on your chest. It feels very comfortable to have him like this. You feel like you can actually protect him. “I’m scared, and I want to go home!”

You look at the floor. You want to scream, you want to cry too, but the tears have dried.  You are just able to sigh and hug him even tighter; making a face that would break his heart if he could see it.

“Me too…” You whisper. “I want to go home too…”

He hugs you back, and you whimper, without tears in your eyes.  You are too tired, and the only thing you can do, is hug him, hoping that he can calm down in your arms.

There is noise outside, but you react way too slowly.

The door opens.

The boy clings to you, even harder, and his crying is getting higher. He’s tossing and screaming, when they reach towards you.

You fight back the tears, but you still end up crying, when their hands take your arm.

You are a sobbing mess and you try to fight. They hit you, and you hear screams. They are not yours.

You look at the boy, he’s yelling, he’s screaming. He’s crying, and breaking.

“Where are you taking her!?” He sobs, and screams at the same time. “Leave her alone! Don’t take her!”

“I’ll be back!” You scream at him, trying to make him stop. It only hurts you more to see him like that. Crying, tears messing up your face, and bloodied dress. “Don’t worry! I’ll be back!”

You try to sound reassuring, but it’s not helping much. In his eyes, it must seem like you are just a madman.

You still smile at him.

“Don’t take her!” Tears flood his cheeks, and he looks funny. You might have laughed if it weren’t for how much it breaks your heart. “Jade! Jade! JADE!”

 

  


  


**Your name is JADE. You can’t remember you last name, you might have forgotten your name.**

**And you are about to get raped.**


	2. Don't Close Your Eyes 1

You are not sure how much time has passed, since you last saw her. It feels like days. Even weeks. You are worried, you are scared. What if they never bring her back? What if you never see her again? You promised to protect her; you’ll die if you can’t keep that promise.

You hear a lot of noise from the outside, and you crawl a little nearer to the door. You have barely moved from here since they took her away. You want to hear her come back.

The noise continues, and there are screams once again.

You still don’t know what they mean, but you have grown used to hearing them. That scares you even more. To grow used to something so inhuman can’t be good. You hear footsteps, and a boys cry's. You put your hands over your ears, and try to shut it all down.

The door opens again.

Someone tosses her inside, just like they did to you. Without caring if she’s hurt or not.

You rush to her side, not even looking at the person who did this to her.

“Oh no, Jade!” You are scared. There is blood in her dress, and she’s covered in bruises. Her back painted red. “Are you alright?!”

You try not to freak out, but it’s a little difficult to keep calm in this situation.

She, somehow, finds strength to talk.

“I’m fine...I think…” She smiles, and something inside of you breaks. You help her sit up.

You are not really smart, but you get the idea of what happened to her. You decide not to approach her so quickly. You wait until she takes a breath and calms down.

“Can I come near now?”

She nods, but you take time on going next to her, you don’t want to scare her.

“I’m not going to break.” She jokes, but you don’t trust her voice. You still avoid touching her, and you see her relax, when you stop staring at her dress. “Thanks.”

Her voice is soft, and barely a whisper.

“Here.” You show her the shirt you had clung to, since she got stolen away. “Maybe, it’s not enough…”

She smiles.

“I’ll change.”

She turns her back at you, and you blush.

You look away. You can look at her naked body, after something like that happened. It felt wrong.

Still, a simple shirt is not going to be enough. You take a deep breath, and crawl to the pile.

When she turns around, you can see how the shirt looks on her.

It might have been a little big for a normal thirteen year old girl, but she was taller than the average. She was skinnier, though, so it was really loose on her.

“I look funny.” She giggles, playing with the sleeves. She blushes when she sees her own panties covered in blood.

“Here.” You refuse to look down. It’s not right, so you look away and hand her a pair of pants. They are grey, so they won’t look bloodied right away. They are dirtied, but it’s not like you can be picky.

“Where did you get them?” She asks.

“In the pile…Don’t worry, I stayed away from…that. I hope it fits you.” You say, and you see her smile a little.

She rubs your head, and puts them on. They are loose on her hips, they fall a little, and she pulls them back up, but they go down again.

“Thanks!” She smiles, and you smile right back. They way she’s acting, makes it impossible to believe that everything is wrong. Is it weird for you to feel happy, in this situation, just by having her besides you? She sits down, besides you and she rest her head in your shoulder. ”Thank you, really…”

You frown.

“You shouldn’t thank me…” You say. “I didn’t do a thing to help you.”

“There’s nothing you could have done, either way.” She shrugs. “Actually, I’m happy you didn’t. If you had, they would have hurt you too. And that’s something, I really don’t want to.”

“I don’t want them to hurt you either.” You tear up a little. You are scared. Right now, she’s the only thing you have, and probably the only thing that can keep you sane. You are scared of losing her. “What’s the point if I can’t protect you too?”

She stays silent for a moment. You feel awful, and never more than now, have you felt tiny and weak.

“You can’t protect me.” She says, her eyes are hard, like if she were mad. You fear she’s mad at you, because you are weak, and you can’t keep her safe, but she smiles. She’s smiling at you, so you wonder who is she mad at. “But I don’t need to be protected, anyway. I’m strong! I’ll get by, somehow.” She has a sad smile, you believe she is strong, but you don’t know for how long. She takes you hand. “I’m fine as long as you help me get by.”

“But I’m not doing anything!” You shriek. You want to help her, but you have no idea how. “I really, really want you to be alright, but I have no idea how I can…I’m not helping you at all…”

Even if you are crying a little, she smiles. A warm smile, like the one she gave you when you first came here. The first warm and true smile you have seen, since you were separated from your dad.

“You are.” She says. Her smile is gentle, and her touch is soft in your hand. Reassuring you, everything is fine. She hugs you, and buries her head in your shoulder. “This is not the first time they do it, and I assure you, it won’t be the last. That won’t change. Even so, now I’m able to get by. Now it’s different. I used to sit alone in this cell, hoping they never came in here. Every minute felt like an eternity, and little by little I felt less and less human. More like an object, more like I didn’t exist at all.”

You hug her as strongly as you can when you hear her voice break. She laughs, calling you ‘Dummy’ under her breath.

“I’m sorry.”

“Stop saying you’re sorry.” She hits you in the arm. Maybe she meant it to be weak, but even when she’s so thin; her punch manages to hurt you. You don’t let it show, though. She rests her head in your arm again, and sighs. “I’m not alone anymore. And with you, I remember I’m alive. It’s like you broke the Doll’s curse.”

“Doll’s curse?” You ask. Not sure of what she means.

“It’s an old story.” She stares at the door for a little, and then smiles. “It’s getting pretty late, you should sleep.”

You are not sure if it’s ‘late’. You don’t know how long it has been and you’re sure Jade doesn’t either. You still say yes, and cuddle with her, so her stomach doesn’t hurt.

“Well, this is the bedtime story.” She says. It’s weird, the way you’re resting. She is right next to you, on the floor, using dirty clothes as her pillow. She has her face buried in your shoulder, but that’s definitely weird, because she must be at least, seven inches taller than you. “The story of the Doll’s curse!”

She starts telling you the story.

> <<Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there lived a little doll maker. He was an old man, who never married someone, and didn’t have any interest to do so, yet the old man had a craving. He, in the deepest of his heart, wanted a daughter, a son even, to teach them the old art of making dolls.
> 
> <<One day, the man waked up, after having the weirdest dream. In his dream, a blue lady, with wings that sparkled like frozen stars, told him ‘You shall make the most beautiful doll in the world, and then, that doll shall bear the life of your own. You will name it, you will raise it, and when the day comes, you will die and in your place the doll shall stand.’ The old man did as she said, and started working, day and night on that beautiful doll, the blue lady had said. Finally after an entire year passed, he did it.
> 
> <<The most beautiful doll in the world was born. Some say it was a she, some say it was a he, I don’t really see the point on this, but it was certainly the most beautiful thing created.
> 
> <<Unfortunately, even if the doll moved, even if it talked, and could create dolls almost as beautiful as themselves, it still didn’t have emotions. They couldn’t laugh, or smile, not even cry or be sad. They just did what it was told, until the days passed. The old man, loved the doll no matter what, like his own blood, and taught it all he could. Even when everyone thought it was unnatural, the old man still loved the doll. The days passed, and soon, the old man fell ill. The doll, couldn’t understand what was happening, and when the day came, the old man fell asleep without ever opening his eyes again.
> 
> <<The doll was left wondering. What happened to the old man? Why wouldn’t he wake up? Days, weeks, months, years passed, and the doll wouldn’t move from the old man’s side. They wanted him to wake up, they wanted him to teach them, and to make weird sounds, and to be with them.
> 
> <<Before they realized it, the doll had tears in their crystal eyes, and their small hands moved to stop them. The doll’s curse was removed. The little doll could feel again. The little doll cried, and cried, day and night for the loss of their beloved father.
> 
> <<The Doll was never seen again, but it’s said that when people suffer a lot, the Doll’s Curse shall be put in them, so they don’t grieve like the Doll did. Only someone who deeply cares can lift it from them.”

* * *

When you wake up, Jade is already standing in front of the door.

“Jade?” You ask, and she turns around.

“Oh, hey! You are up already? Go back to sleep, it’s still really early!”

You raise an eyebrow. You really doubt Jade is able to know the time for sure. Even if she could, you don’t feel like you slept all that much.

“You’re acting weird.” You say, and crawl to her. “Are you sure, you are alright?”

She grips your shoulder, and rests her head in your forehead. This takes you by surprise. It’s unusual for her to look so down.

“They will be coming.” She says, in a whisper. “Soon. I feel it.”

A shiver, cold and mortifying, runs down, everywhere in you.

“So, what are we going to do?” You ask, trying to hug her, but she’s clenching too hard for you to do anything.

There is noise outside, and your blood turns cold. You want to hug Jade, as tight as you can. You don’t want them to hurt her.

You are scared. Incredibly.

“They are near…” She says, and you hear her voice break. This time, you do hug her. Because not even the grip on you, can be as hurtful as the idea of Jade hurt, or the idea of what could happen to you.

“I’m sorry…” Is the only thing you manage to say.

“Don’t be.” She says. She lifts her head, and stares at your eyes. She’s kneeling, but even like that, she’s taller than you when you sit down. She’s looking down you face, drops of salty water in her eyes, as there are on yours. She sighs. “Can I count on you for something?”

“Jade…?”

“Listen to me.” She murmurs, stroking your face. You wet her fingers with your tears, but she doesn’t care. “You need to hide.”

You feel cold. You can’t believe she’s asking you this. Quickly, you grab her hands, surprise and hurt in your small blue eyes.

“No, I won’t!” You yell. She makes you a ‘shush’ sign, and you quite down a little bit. You do, but your eyes are still screaming for her to reconsider. You whisper. “I won’t let them take you away, again.”

“You need to.” She says. She’s serious, but so are you. “If they find you, they’ll make you do, the same things they do to me. Probably, even worst.”

“But, Ja-“

“I’m already used to it.” She says like it was fine. Like she is telling you she is used to do a lot of homework, or answering the phone when your parents aren’t home. Not like, she’s about to be… “If you stay in the pile, they’ll assume you are death, and won’t bother anymore. There are plenty other for them to take. Stay in the pile, and don’t come out until the door has been closed.”

“It’s way more dangerous for you to be there!” You try to kick some sense into her. “What if they, infect you with something? What if they…" Cold sweat rolls down your bak, the fear bigger than you. "...Jade, what if you get pregnant?”

She looks down. Sad eyes. She rubs her tummy, affectionately and then tears form in her eyes.

You feel your blood run cold.

“They just…Take it out…Simply, like that.” She rubs her eyes, washing the tears away; there is a small, given up smile in her lips. You feel about to puke. “Don’t worry. Everything will be ok. Didn’t you say so?”

“But-!” The sound of the door being opened makes you cry, unable to react. But Jade is able to. She quickly shoves you into de pile and hurries to the door.

“Didn’t you have a partner?” The horse voice of an adult man calls. You see Jade, behind all the pile of clothes, glance at the pile. “Dead, huh? He didn’t last enough…Oh, well. At least we didn’t waste food on him. Still, the customer asked for two little kids…Maybe the ones in the cell next to yours…”

He picks Jade up, and carries her. She gives you one last smile, before disappearing behind the door.

“Don’t worry.” She mouths. “I’ll be back.”

You cry.

You are mess, and you can’t stop crying. Suddenly, the cell feels incredibly small, and you realize how cold it is.

You are alone again.

Your hand bumps into something colder.

Horror takes over you. The cold skin of the corpse touched yours. You want to puke, but you are just able to stare in terror. You breathe as slowly as you can, staring into the gross, and slimy green skin. You hope it’s not all that old, because that would certainly make it even worst.

There are old rags all in the floor, so you decide to cover it with them.

Taking one by one, making sure you leave the ones Jade might be able to use, in a folded pile next to you, and the ones that are too small, or way to shattered or dirtied with blood, tossing them over The Dead Man. You entertain yourself with this; hoping Jade will be back soon, so you can give her the new clothes you’ve found.

By the end, you have a small pile of clothes Jade can use, and the man is covered completely. There are still a lot of other clothes, but those are for you to take cover. For half a moment, you wondered where all this clothes came from, but you quickly decide not to think about it. It terrifies you, each time you pick a blouse or a pair of trouser that are too small to fit, even you.

You pick a sweater from the pile. It’s a green one, covered in dirt, but has the picture of a dog in it. You think Jade might like it, and you want to give it to her, when she comes back. Last night, when she fell asleep next to you, she was shivering from the cold. It’s fluffy, so you smile, when you imagine her warm and comfy in it.

You yawn and hug your knees. You’re still scared, but you are more tired. Your eyes hurt from crying so much, and you rest, waiting for Jade.

“Ouch!” You feel something hurt your hands when you rest your head in the pile. You take whatever it is from under the clothes, and you amaze yourself.

It’s a knife. You barely remember, The Dead Man having cuts in his wrist and dried blood on the floor. Maybe he used the knife to cut himself open. You shudder when you try to imagine it, and take a red shirt, barely bigger than you, and cover it completely with it. You hide it, next to the pile you use as a pillow. You don’t want that thing nowhere near Jade.

You finally rest, hoping to see Jade back, when you wake up.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter turned out longer than i expected, so i decided to separate it. Originally, each chapter was supposed to be about each kid point of view, but welp John's part is bigger. I hope I can upload them soon, but i can't promise muhc, since i'm on vacations in Hell Family Hometown Where Everyone Thhinks Im A Stupid Spoiled Girl (which i maybe am)


	3. Don't Close Your Eyes 2

Jade is not back when you wake up.

You panic. Never had you been so worried, and never had you felt like this.

You don’t know how long it has been. You don’t know how long you have been asleep. You don’t know a thing. It could have been hours, it could have been whole days. Jade might not even come back, and you don’t know it.

You start having trouble breathing. You never had this kind of trouble. But right now, you are having a panic attack.

Everything is blurry, not that there is anything to see. There are uncontrollable shivers running all over your body.

“Jade…”You call her name. “Jade!”

You cry her name, once more. You feel horrible.

You hide in the pile. There is no way you are coming out. Not until Jade is back.

Maybe sleeping is an option, but you don’t count it as one. You are scared of waking up, hours having passed, with Jade still gone.

You entertain yourself imagining. Games, more than anything, than you could play with Jade. There’s not much you can do to play, in this small and smelly cell, but you try to imagine.

So far, the idea of dressing up and trying to act like superheroes doesn’t seem so bad. Also, tying all the sweaters you can find, and building a giant rope to skip, is a good idea.

By the time you’re wondering if you could use the knife to play tic-tac-toe in the walls is a good idea, the noise begins again.

You take two big pair of pants and throw them over yourself. You stay hidden, until the noise becomes screams. They are filled with horror, and the sound of metal hitting against the doors only makes it more terrifying.

“What have you done to him?! Where is he?!” That’s the scream of a girl. There is banging in the door and it echoes in your cell. She must be next to you. You make every effort not to listen. Her screams are getting to you. You are afraid that they did something to Jade. You are scared that she will never come back.

“Jade will be back.” You say to yourself. She promised. They must be bringing everyone back to the cells. You hear cries, and doors opening.  You wait. And wait. And wait. The more time passes, the more scared you are. Where is Jade? Where is she? The sounds are becoming quieter, and never had it scared you so much. If they leave, and Jade doesn’t come back…

Is she dead?

That’s the first thing that comes in your mind, and quickly, you erase it. No. Jade is alive, Jade is fine, and she’s coming back.

What if she’s hurt? What if they’re still…Using her?

“Jade…” You whisper, and hug your legs. She needs to come back. If she doesn’t…You won’t be able to take it.

You stare at the cloth besides you that hides the knife.

You wouldn’t like to do it. But, it’s not like you have many other options.  In this place, you wouldn’t be able to survive for long. If what Jade said is true, you have three options.

One, stay hidden until some other person comes in here to keep you company, completely trusting fate for them to be nice (But you no longer trust her, to be honest) Or two, start working like Jade did, in hope to find an exit. Locked in the cell, without going outside won’t leave you room to escape. If they take you, you might find an exit.

There’s also the third option. You glance at the knife, but push it aside, as soon as you think about it. You don’t want to become just another corpse laying on the pile of clothes.

No. Stop all this.

Jade is coming back. She will be back, she’ll be fine, and-

You turn your head, when the noise suddenly stops.

There are no more people outside, there is not a single sound.

“Jade?”

No one answers.

You move your hands, finding the sweater you were supposed to give Jade once she came back.

You try to imagine her, smiling and dancing in the cell, wearing the sweater. A big, wide smile and a giggle with a ‘Thank you’.

You hug it, and cry on it.

“Jade…Where are you?” You sob, and try to wipe your tears.

You could handle a lot of things, you think, but being alone in a cell is not one of them.

Not caring at all what could happen now, you curl up next to the knife, hugging the sweater and worrying, what you will do once you woke up.

You have a dreamless sleep, much like every other you had. This scares you, it’s like this place kills dreams.

A loud sound wakes you up. It startles you, and you barely manage to stay in the same position.

It takes you a few minutes, to realize the door has been opened.

There’s a loud ‘thud’, and a scream. You let out a gasp, tears forming in your eyes.

“We are coming in the morning.” Someone says. The voice is loud, rough, and dry. It’s like hearing a nasty giant talk. Maybe, that’s what it is.

The door is shut. With a loud ‘bang’, when the heavy metal meets the door frame.

You stay still, waiting for something.

“Ughhnn…” A moan echoes in the cell. You recognize her voice. You jump out of the pile, and run toward her.

“Jade!” You call, and kneel besides her. “Oh, no... Jade!”

You are petrified at the sight before you.

“Ah…You are still here…” She murmurs, trying to stand up. You don’t let her. Taking her shoulders, you gently let her drop her whole body on your chest. You rest yourself against the wall, taking deep breaths as Jade groans. “I’m so glad…They didn’t hurt you, did they?”

You shake your head, and tear up.

“What did they do to you?” You ask, not sure what to do. The sight makes you want to puke, and makes everything growl inside of you. By the mere sight, you can’t speak, you can’t think. You can’t feel.

She smiles.

“This person…He’s come a few times. He doesn’t exactly play, by the best rules…”

You hug her, but you’re scared of hurting her more than she already is...

“This is horrible!” You tell her. You avoid touching her back or breasts and looking at her face.  You sob in her hair. “How could they do this to you?!”

She hugs you. You can feel her tremble, you’re sure she’s going to cry.  So you let her wet your shoulder with her tears.

“I never want you to go there…” Jade whispers. “That place is horrible…”

“Why do you keep going?” You ask in tears too. “Maybe if you faked dead too, and stayed here…”

“Maybe. But, no.” She says. “I’m not doing it because I want to…Every time they take me outside, I get to catch a glimpse of everything.”

“What?”

“I have been out, more than anyone in here, I think…” She takes a deep breath. “I know how to escape.”

You open your eyes, big and wide.

“You know? How did you-?”

“When I first got here, there was a girl.” She sighs, again. There’s no doubt she’s tired, but for some reason she keeps talking. “There are near to 10 cells, no more than three children in each. At the end of the hall of cells, there is a big door, in the other side, there’s room .It has a big red carpet. They sit there, all the kids that have been requested.They don’t have rooms, so basically, when they come in…”

She stops mid sentence.

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want.” You tell her. Her whole body is shivering. You are scared she’ll hurt herself more than she already is.

“I need to.” She says. “I don’t know what will happen to me in the future…If I don’t make it, I want you to-“

“No.” You tell her. She looks at you in surprise. “Nothing is going to happen to you. I promised, remember?”

She smiles.

“Yeah, you did.” Her crooked teeth show. “And I also swore to protect you. And that’s what I will.”

“You have already done enough.”

“Not yet, enough.” She rests her head again in your chest. “The point is, there are three guards in the hall, and the room. I got hurt, because I made a deal with the person who…”She hesitates. Not sure what to call him. ‘Human’ doesn’t fit. “...I promised I would let him do whatever he wanted if he told me what was beyond the door…”

“He agreed?” You smile, unable to believe it.

“Well…” She drags the ‘e’ and then giggles. “I obviously used other words.”

“Jade?” You ask her jokingly.

“‘Oh, mister…I love you so much…I wish we could escape, and live in a place where I’m only yours!’ “She says with an overly sweet voice. She makes a face and shivers. She must have remembered saying it. You don’t want to even imagine how gross that must have felt. “I kept telling him how he could do anything to me if he took me out. He told me his ‘plan’. I seriously doubt he was serious, but it gave me an idea of how it is beyond the door. It seems there’s only a waiting room, and the outside only has like two body guards.”

“You seriously think we can escape?”

“I’m not sure, but I have the general idea.” She is softly breathing against your chest. “There was this girl; I met her when I first got here. She was really smart; she was the one who told me a lot of things about this place. If I could find her, I’m sure we would be able to escape, us three...” She pauses, and lets out a mouthful of air. She’s tired, and can hardly breathe. You hug her, letting her know, no matter what, you are still her support. “I never met her again, sadly.”

“I wonder why there are so little guards, though…” You wonder trying to drag her attention to other things. “I mean, there be must around thirty persons in this entire place.”  
Jade laughs.

“Thirty people, silly.” She pokes your nose. You blush, and mutter a ‘whatever’. She goes back to her sad face. “I’m not sure, but from what I’ve heard, the children in here, can’t be older than fifteen…They don’t have the resources to maintain someone older than that. It’s easy to take care of young children, with some guns.”

You gulp.

“What do they do with people over fifteen?”

Jade shakes her head.

Suddenly, there is noise outside.

You don’t recognize that kind of sound. There are footsteps, but no metal echoing. They weren’t opening the doors.

You stay still, but Jade doesn’t.

At the sound of people’s footsteps, she immediately got up, and threw you towards the pile.

The sound ended as soon as it started.

“Jade!” You yell-whisper, so only she can hear you. As you expected, Jade collapsed. You rush to her side. “Don’t do that! It’s dangerous!”

“Sorry…” She murmurs. You look at her body again, and you shut your eyes close. You can’t bear to see it. You hug her while she tries to get her strength back, but with how she moved so suddenly, everything opened again.

First of all, she’s naked. Not completely, she has some kind of underwear on, and a louse shirt that doesn’t cover shit, because it’s shredded almost to pieces, and it’s see through. All her back, is exposed, covered in red lashes, that still have a little of blood. You don’t really dare look at her chest, but when she came in, you managed to see red marks on them. What grosses you out the most, are the bruises. There is a big one on her cheek, making her cute face, dark and weird. Many others are all over her hips and legs, making it hard for her to stand. But what really makes it impossible for her to stand up, for even a minute, are the slashes in her feet. You can’t even imagine how painful it must be for her.

She looks wrecked, and just how could they do this to her?

You tear up again, and look away.

You take notice that the sweater you had in your hands, before Jade got here, is near. You take it, and look at her.

“Jade, look.” You smile at her, and she looks at you. You show her the sweater and kneel in front of her. “It’s a little big, but it’s better than the shirt, I guess?”

You put it on her, making her look funny in it.

“Thank you.” She smiles.

“You look pretty.” You say.

She laughs.

“I’m covered in bruises and blood. I think you have a really weird idea of beauty!”

“No, I don’t. You look pretty, because you are still smiling.” You smile to her a little. “And, even with bruises, your beauty is in here.” You touch her chest super-fast, and lightly.

“I won’t them take away your smile.”

She smiles. Truly, and happy. That smile, that feels you with joy and warmth. That smile that resembles the one of your father and grandmother’s just after baking a cake.

“What did I do to deserve someone like you?” She laughs, and hugs you. “Tha-nk you…”

Her voice breaks, and suddenly, you have a little Jade, crying in your chest. It breaks your heart, and you hug her back.

You stand up. Out of both, you are definitely the smaller one, but also the healthier, so you easily carry her to the opposite corner of the cell. She’s so tall, but so skinny, she doesn’t weight much. You sit down, and let Jade rest her head in your lap. She’s facing you, and buries her face in your stomach.                 

You hear her cry, but don’t say a thing. You just gently pat her head.

You mind starts wandering, and you remember your grandma. She used to hold you like this when you were small- well, smaller-, and you cried when the creepy harlequin doll moved in the night.

You miss her. She died, before the world started to end, before your father and you had to leave the house. You guess that was the best. If your grandma had been there when everything happened…You are happy she died in a peaceful time.

“What’s that song?” Jade asks. She stopped crying, but she’s still tired. You didn’t realize you were humming.

“Ah, a song my Nanna used to sing, when I couldn’t sleep.” You shrug.

“My grandpa used to sing for me too.” She smiles in the nostalgia. “But they were weird ones. One went ‘What are little girls made of? What are little girls made of? Frogs and snakes, and puppy dog tails!’ But I really doubt the original went like that though!”

You laugh.

“It’s really funny!”

“I know! I never fell asleep when he sang it, but it made me smile, and I pretended to be asleep, so he would sing it again.” She smiles. “What did your Nanna sing?”

“Oh, she sang a really soft song. I never realized when I felt asleep, when she sang it. She had the sweetest voice!”

“How nice...” She lets out a huge yawn, and stretches in your lap. “Do you remember the lyrics?”

“Umm...I think so...Let me see…”

You take a breath.

[“Lullaby and good night; In the sky stars are bright; May the moon’s silvery beams; Bring you sweet dreams”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsFQcQKWgTQ)

While you sing, you unknot Jade’s hair. She relaxes under your touch. Her eyes start blinking, slowly. You never realized how long Jade’s hair was. It almost reaches her waist, and it takes your full attention to unknot it. You keep singing, barely remembering the lyrics.  
  
[“Close your eyes now and rest; May these hours be blessed; Till the sky's bright with dawn; When you wake with a yawn”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsFQcQKWgTQ)

Jade goes limp in your lap, but you don’t notice. You are quite focused on her hair. By the time is knot-free, she’s barely conscious.

“Jade?” You ask. She blinks a bit, then groans.

“Don’t stop. I like the song…”

First, you are confused, then you smile. You grin, she looks so small like that. You are glad she gets, at least, this much of peace.

[“Lullaby and good night; You are my sweet delight; I’ll protect you from harm; And you’ll wake in my arms. “](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsFQcQKWgTQ)

You don’t go to sleep. Instead, you decide to stay awake, in case something or someone enters the cell. You need to stay besides her, so she isn’t afraid.

With her straight, long hair, you start making braid. When you were little, your grandmother taught you how to. Obviously you never paid attention, and the braid is horrible. It looks more like a tangled knot of hair. You laugh, it looks silly, so you start straightening her hair, again.

You realize how her eyes are almost shut down, so you pet her. From her forehead to the back of her head, you scratch a little behind her ear, and she lets out a content sigh.

You giggle.

[“Sleepyhead”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsFQcQKWgTQ) You whisper.[“Close your eyes; I’m right beside you; Lay thee down now and rest; May your slumber be blessed.”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsFQcQKWgTQ)

There’s a ‘tap, tap’ sound, next to you. You stop singing, and look around. Jade opens an eye, lazily.

“What’s that?” She asks, but you can’t answer. You don’t know either, so you just hear, again.

‘Tap, tap, tap’

“It’s that...” You begin, but Jade gets up.

“It comes from the wall.” She says. Her ear is pressed in the wall, and she begins ‘tap-ing’ in the wall, too. ‘Tap,tap, tap’

There’s a ‘tap, tap,tap’ back.

“Someone is there. I think they like your song.” Jade says, and smiles.

“How tin are this walls?” You ask, amused.

“Who cares, you doofus !” She smiles, warmly. She lays in your lap, again. “Just keeps singing.”

You laugh. You move a little more against the wall, and sing a little louder, so the people next cell can hear.

You repeat another verse, braiding and unbraiding (more like knotting, and unknotting), Jade’s hair. She keeps snoring, and you swear you can hear the soft breathing, and snoring, in the other side of the wall. One you think it’s been long enough for the two (?) persons, (you can hear Jade saying ‘It’s people, silly!’) you sing one last verse.

[“Go to sleep, little one; Think of sunny bright mornings; Hush darling one; Sleep through the night; Sleep through the night; Sleep through the night.”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsFQcQKWgTQ)

You want to cry, maybe they can hear you, maybe they can’t. You hope they do dream of sunny bright mornings, at least there, they will feel better.

“Sleep through the night” You whisper, and finally manage to make a cute braid in the side of Jade’s hair.

You don’t go to sleep. You guard her, that’s the least you can do. If you can protect her, at least you will protect her dreams. Turning your head, you look at the wall. ‘Tap, tap,tap’ you make it sound.

No one answers.

You guess you can protect theirs too.


	4. Don't Close Your Eyes 3

 

It seemed mere minutes, but for sure they must have been hours, when the noise begins again. You hug Jade, for the few minutes it takes  her to wake up to the horrible noise of the clashing metal. She stays like that, for some moments, but as soon as it became louder, and louder, she stood up.

“Hide. Please, hide.”

You wish you could tell her ‘no’, but the pleading look she gives you, makes you obey.

She falls to the ground, moments after you leave, and just seconds pass, before the door opens again.

This time, you don’t even cry. You are unable to.

Something’s  dying inside of you. You aren’t sure exactly what, but it is...

You sit there, in the pile of clothes, avoiding The Dead Man, and his knife.

After a while, you look at the ground. There’s something weird on the floor.

You crawl, and stretch your arm, grabbing it with your fingertips. There’s no force in your legs left. They fell asleep in the night, when Jade slept on them, and the fear paralyzed them for a bit.

It’s green, and soft. You let out a gasp, when you stretch it to see what it is. It’s Jade’s sweater. She must have dropped it, before she left. You are not sure why, and you’re scared maybe it has a deep meaning, like she’s never coming back, or that she will die in 24 hours, or that she got abducted by aliens, or…

You fight back a sob. You can’t think things like that.

Jade said it, like every time she is taken. She mouthed ‘Don’t worry. I’ll be back.’

She promised, and not once, has she broken one of her promises.

‘Tap, tap, tap.’

You lift your head, confused.

‘Tap, tap, tap.’

There is it, again.

‘Tap, tap, tap.’

It keeps coming, and you remember the knocks on the wall, from last night.

You crawl, to the opposite corner of the room. There, you put your ear against the wall.

‘Tap, tap, tap.’

Again. Stronger.

You raise your hand, palm against the wall. There is a moment where everything falls still. There is no sound from the other room, and you worry.

You curl your hand, and knock.

‘Tap, tap, tap.’ You make it sound.

No one answers.

You sigh. Maybe your mind is playing tricks to you. No one can be at the other side. And even if there were, you doubt they would answer you.

“Tap, tap, tap.” It answers.

At these moments, you wish you had learned Morse code, when you had the chance. Maybe, that way you could actually communicate with the person next cell.

You close the distance between yourself and the wall, your mouth, almost kissing it.

“Hey!” You try not to be way too loud. “Are you alright?”

There’s a ‘Tap, tap, tap.” In return. You smile, you‘ll take that as a ‘yes’, but you seriously doubt they’re actually alright.

“That’s good!” You tell them.

A moan comes from the wall; you try to tune it in better. You barely manage to understand it, pressing your ear fully against the wall, in the exact same spot the other person must be.

‘Song.’

Another one comes.

‘I’m Alone.’

‘And scared.’

You remember yesterday, when Jade was sleeping in your lap, against the corner wall.

_‘I think they like your song!’_

She told you.

She was right.

You laugh. Of course she was right ! Jade always tells the truth.

You rest against the wall.

At first, you just hum a random song, trying to decide what to do. When another ‘Tap, tap, tap.’ Is heard, you decide to actually start singing.

It’s the same lullaby you sang for Jade yesterday, you think that’s the only thing that can calm them down. You doubt some punky or rock song will bring them peace in their mind (Not that you know any punk or rock song, to be honest.)

It takes a while, until your throat starts getting dry. You repeat and repeat the lyrics, until you tire yourself.

After what it seemed an eternity of the same lyrics, you do little ‘Tap, tap, tap.’ Against the wall. They are not asleep because they send you another one right back.

Your time is passed skipping between lullabies, and making sure the other one is calm. After the third time singing ‘Twinkle, twinkle.’ You knock, and there is no answer.

You try it again, softly enough not to wake them up. There is no ‘Tap, tap, tap.’ Back, so you smile and rest your eyes. They must be sleeping by now.

Unable to keep the track of time, you start dreaming. Maybe, you hope, Jade will be back when you wake up, without a single new bruise.

That’s a wishful thinking, but it lulls you to a pleasant sleep.

When you wake up, the sound of clashing metals is the one that welcomes you to hell, once again.

You run to hide on the pile of clothing, and you are only left to wish.

Wish that Jade comes back.

No matter how many times she comes back, no matter how many times she promises she will, when the time comes, you are always scared that the pained look in her face as they take her is the last memory you’ll have of her.

You wait, in the pile of clothes that smell of death, for the noise to stop. You hate that sound, it scares you. It’s the one that marks your time with Jade is up, and the possibility she’ll never come back.

The minutes seem like an eternity, and you start crying when the noise stops.

“Jade…” You whimper her name. “Jade, where are you?”

She must be back. Anytime, she will come back. She will smile at you, her teeth showing, crocked and a little yellow from the time she has gone without brushing them. 

“Jade…” You call her again. You tear are not stopping, but you still cling to hope. She will come back. She will be back…Too scared to continue thinking, you fall asleep. You are not sleepy, but you are tired. Not physically, emotionally. You wonder if everything will be fine, like Jade promised you.  Hugging the sweater Jade used last night, you close your eyes again.

You wake up, to Jade screams this time.

Not her usual screams, filled with pain and sadness. This weren’t just screams.

They were shrieks.

You stand up, just in time to see how the door opens. You hide again in the pile.

A man, tall and fat with a nasty bear opens the door. He smells horrible, like sex and junk food, and a nasty smoke that you knew it was drugs. It makes you want to empty your stomach, but at this point there was nothing to empty, as it already had nothing. 

He has his big hand wrapped around Jade’s arms. He tossed her into the cell, ignoring her screams.

“Shut up, bitch.” He yells. “You are lucky you are still alive.”

With that he closes the door.

As soon as he does, you run to Jade’s side. She’s still screaming. You manage to catch some “Fuck you!” and “I will kill you!” in her screams.

Not knowing what to do, you just stare. You whole body is frozen on the spot when you see Jade’s state.

There is blood, so much blood. Dried, but it scares you, just how much there is. You start crying, when you look at her tights completely smeared in dried blood. Bruises are everywhere, and there are cuts in her belly, and back. Last night’s injuries barely healed.

You want to hug her, tell her everything is alright, but you can’t bring yourself to.

Part of it is because you feel guilty over her taking your place, but also you are scared of hurting her.

Oh, and there’s also the fact she’s naked.

Her screams become less and less loud, and suddenly she’s only whimpering.

You touch her hand. Maybe if you touch her, hug her, or even get too near when she’s in this state might make her uncomfortable, and that’s the least you want to do.

She grabs it, and gets nearer. You slowly stretch your arm, asking her permission for a hug.

When she doesn’t move away, you take it as a yes, and wrap your arm around her, while your other hand is still holding her hand.

You can’t stop crying, while you pat her back, gently and barely touching it. It’s red, from all the slashes there are.

“Everything will be alright; everything will be just fine, Jade.” You try to tell her, but your voice breaks when you open your mouth. It sounds more like a sob, than a promise.

She clings to you, and once again, you realize that no matter how tall she is, or how strong she seems when they take her, at the end of the day she’s just a girl. A girl, that can’t be much older than you, still so small and fragile.

“Don’t cry…” She tells you, patting your head. Her smile is so broken, yet so true. It hurt her to smile, you bet. But she still cares about you. “Please, I don’t want to see you cry...”

You just hug her tighter against your chest. No matter how much she ask you this, you can’t bring yourself to give in to this request. Not this one.

“I’m so sorry, Jade!” You cry hiding your face in her hair. “I’m so sorry! I should have done something!”

“It’s not your fault…” She grips your hand, and nuzzles her face in your chest.

You keep crying in her, wetting her hair, and hugging her. You are scared of hurting her, but it hurts so much to see her like that.

The bruises in her stomach are getting darker, and bigger. Her lower belly is completely colored in purple, and her breasts are red. Her face looks almost unrecognizable, and her hair is a mess. The silky hair you unknotted yesterday is now tangled and covered in every fluid you can think of.

You manage to calm yourself. Stroking her hand with your thumb, you breathe in and out.

“I’m sorry…”

This time, the only thing Jade can do, is hug you.

“Don’t be.” She tells you again.

You stay like that, trying not to break down and cry on each other, for what it seems hours.

Finally, you let out a huge sigh, and separate from her.

“Sorry, I ended up being the one crying…”

“Stop saying you’re sorry!” She tells you, jokingly, hitting your arm. You painfully realize, it no longer hurts you. She’s too weak, for it to hurt. She smiles at you, her smile big and warm, making you give her one too. “And it’s not bad to cry. It’s better than bottling it up!”

You smile.

“Yeah, you are right!” You tell her. You need to smile bright, to make her feel better, at least in these moments. Suddenly, you remember something. “Right! Here, Jade!”

You pick her up again, and you take her to the corner, where you left that thing.

“Be careful! You can drop me!” She says, but you don’t listen. You are not really strong, seen as you haven’t eaten in god knows how many days, but she’s even weaker, so it’s easy to carry her.

“Wait here.” You tell her, dropping her next to the wall, as carefully as you can. Then, you run to the other side, picking it up, from the pile. You are by her side as fast as a lightning bolt. You show it to her, with a proud smile. “You left it.”

Her face softens, and she lets out a giggle.

“Thank you…” She takes it in her arms. It’s still soft, and a little warm, since you slept with it hugged all night. She rubs her face against the fabric, and then opens it, to put it on. You are worried the stitches might hurt her bare skin, but she doesn’t seem to care. She smiles at you, the big sweater covering her, all the way down to her thighs. “It’s so warm!”

You smile at her, and put down some other clothes you brought with you.

“Like this, we can sleep better.” You tell her. You fold the clothes, making little pillows, one next to another. You put some together to work as sheets, and to avoid Jade’s back bruising even more. You sit down right next to the wall. You stretch your arms, and smile. “Come here! You should rest.”

You are really surprised when out of the nowhere, instead of a smile, tears flood her face.

“You…” She says, and tries to wipe her tears away.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to upset you!” You say alarmed. You don’t want to see her crying anymore. She shakes her head, and smiles. It stirs something inside of you. She’s crying, but she’s happy.

“I’m not upset, dummy!” She giggles, and then kneels besides you. She locks her eyes in yours, the genuine love makes you feel at ease. “These are happy tears! Thank you…”

“Why are you thanking me?” You laugh. “I’m just treating you normal.”

“Yes, it’s been so long since someone did that.” She hugs you; her head in your shoulder fits almost perfectly. ”Thank you…”

 “You’re welcome.” You say, returning her hug.

‘Tap, tap, tap.’ You hear besides you.

“Oh? What’s that?” Jade asks, and you press your ear against the wall.

‘You alright?’

The dim sound reaches you.  Like a moan, only you can decipher.

You tap back. You cup your hands in the wall, and talk, louder than last time.

‘My partner is hurt!’

You still make sure is not loud enough for it to be heard in other places.

Putting your ear back to the wall, you wait for them to answer back.

There’s the knock again.

‘Sorry.’

You laugh.

‘Don’t be.’ You tell them, and fall back next to Jade.

“You made some friends?” She asks you with a smile.

“You could say so!” You answer and laugh for a bit. It doesn’t last long, though. When Jade’s head rests in your shoulder, the sweater rolls up, showing her red smeared thighs. “What did the do to you?”

She stares at her own legs, covered in bruises and rashes. She sighs.

“The one of yesterday. He-…It came back and it told me it paid more to stay with me longer, and do whatever it wanted to me…” Tears started pooling in the corner of her eyes. You wipe them away, with a random piece of clothing you find. “It keept saying weird things like ‘Someday you’ll be mine’ or ‘Only you, my little girl’…I’m scared…”

You hug her again, falling into the ‘bed’ you both have. Her head is on top of you, and her legs tangle in yours. She clings to you, and it breaks your heart.

“I won’t let them hurt you.” You tell her, brushing her hair with your hand. “I won’t them take you away.”

She keeps hugging you, and crying while you try your best to calm her.

 “Please…”She begs you, sobbing in your arms. “I wa-want to stay…”

You don’t know what to do, to make her feel better. Everything is fucked up, and you’re as scared as she is.

You don’t want them to take her away from you.

‘Tap, tap, tap.’ You hear besides you. You can’t say is the best moment until…

[‘Hush now my Story; Close your eyes and sleep.’](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uen59x1NBRs)

It’s a melody. You recognize, the voice is from the other side of the wall. It also catches Jade’s ears, who curios as ever, looks at the wall like you. It was short, not even a second long, but you appreciate it.

“I know that song.” Jade tells you. You look at her, and there’s a smile in her face. “It’s from a movie! My grandpa and me used to watch it all the time…”

Her eyes are sad, but her smile is sincere.

You think, in some place of your mind, you have heard it.

“Waltzing the waves; Diving in the deep.” She sings.

There’s a silent moment, and then another knock in the wall.

‘Stars are shining bright; The wind is on the rise...’

You smile, you do remember the song. You saw some years ago, with your dad. It was a silly animated movie, so you could watch it with your dad and Nanna without either of them freaking out.

“…Whispering words of long lost lullabies.” You sing as other voice sings.

You laugh. It makes a funny sound. Your voices echo in the cell, and it’s so beautiful. Even , because Jade is smiling too.

‘I had a dream last night; And heard the sweetest sound.’ The voice sings softly and sweet. Jade rest her head in your shoulder, and stares at the ceiling. ‘I saw a great white light and dancers in the round.’

“Castles in the sand; Cradles in the trees; Don't cry, I'll see you by and by” You sing with Jade in your arms slowly falling asleep.

**_"[Oh won't you come with me; Where the moon is made of gold](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uen59x1NBRs); "_ **

Jade falls asleep faster than ever. She sings to herself, as you make a small duet with the voice next cell. It’s quite off base, and the only thing you manage to do, is make the echo resound on the cell. You don’t care at this point.

When you keep singing, you hear a faint voice, that resembles the other.

**"[And in the morning sun; We'll be sailing; Oh won't you come with me; Where the ocean meets the sky; And as the clouds roll by; We'll sing the song of the sea](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uen59x1NBRs)"**

 

You keep singing the chorus, until one of the voices fades. You are singing a duet with the other voice. A yawn escapes your mouth, but you refuse to go to sleep. You and the other person keep singing, until their voice grows weaker and weaker. When they finally stop, you keep singing.

The ceiling is the only thing you are left staring. After two minutes or something, you stop singing, sure that the other is fast asleep by this point. You knock softly, softly against the wall, and you are happy to hear no response.

It’s quite, while you keep unknotting Jade’s hair. It’s not easy, the dried blood made it hard, but if you sing, time passes sweetly.

‘Tap, tack, tock.’ A different way of knocking. It surprises you, and you stop singing.

You Tap in response, and put your ear against the wall.

‘Thanks.’

It’s the only response.

At first, you are confused, but you find yourself smiling.

‘Tap, tap, tap.’ You make it sound, you put your mouth, mere inches from the wall, and say with your kind of loud voice.

“Sleep tight!”

You hear one last mismatched ‘Tap, tack, tock.’ And you beginning singing again.

You are not exactly sure when you fell asleep. But for the first time in a lot of time, you fell asleep and you dreamed.

It wasn’t a pleasant dream. Fortunately, it wasn’t a nightmare either. You just dreamed. It was weird, and didn’t make sense. You barely recall Jade laughing, and friendly monsters that liked tea. Maybe somewhere in there the ocean drowned everything, but everyone knew how to breathe underwater, so it wasn’t a big deal. Weird, nonsense, and crazy. It was a dream, and it had been so long since you had one.

When you wake up, Jade is still sleeping. That’s weird, usually she’s the first to rise.

Then, something makes you feel sick.

The reason why Jade wakes up first, is the sound of the metal. She has a great hearing, and that sound is unforgettable for her. If she hasn’t woken up, that means the doors haven’t been opened, yet.

She’s tired, so she won’t wake up if there’s no need. You are happy about this, but still…

You are about to knock on the wall, make sure everything is fine in the other cell, when Jade stirs.

She opens her eye, filled with fear.

“They’re coming.” She tells you. “Go hide.”

You want to protest, but the pleading look she gives you makes you obey, once again.

Soon enough, the metal sounds starts.

Hiding in the pile, everything goes painfully slow.

Too late you realize something weird is happening.

There are no cries from the children surrounding you. There are no screams, only metal sounds…

The door opens, and it’s too late.

Instead of someone taking her away, there’s someone stepping in.

“N-no...!” You hear Jade whimper, from behind the clothes, you see her step back. “Wh-what are you doing here?!”

“I came for you, my little girl…”You shiver. The man’s voice is gross, heavy with something you don’t know. He reeks of alcohol, and he’s disgusting to see. Jade steps back once more, just to fall. Her knees gave up.

She shakes her head, hands gripping on the sweater.

“You’re lying.” She says. Her cheeks damp with tears. Never had you seen her like that, so broken, so given up… “He promised…He promised…”

You heart breaks, you did. You promised her. You don’t want her to go away. You want her to stay. They can’t take her away.

“Who? Don’t tell me, you gave yourself to others!?” He growls, and immediately throws himself to her.

You manage to choke down screaming her name.

She clings to her sweater, while the man keeps trying to tear it away.

“Who is him, Emerald!?” He keeps screaming. “He gave you this, didn’t he!?”

“Stop it! Please!” She’s yelling, trashing, keeping him from touching the sweater.

“Who is him, Emerald!?” You can’t stand seeing this. You crawl back, touching something you thought forgotten. “Tell me, who is him!? Emerald, I thought you were mine! Didn’t you say so!?”

You are trembling, the knife of The Dead Man in your hands. It’s so small, but the blade is still sharp. There is still a small voice in your head telling you not to. That, the person in front of you, is a person. The voice is drowning in Jade’s screaming and the man’s yelling.

“I don’t want him to…” She sniffles, her grip stronger than ever on the sweater. “…See me like this…”

For a fraction of a second, you hesitate. Maybe you could work out something, maybe you didn’t have to do this…

“Shut up, you whore!” Screaming, yelling louder than before, he raises his fist. Before you can scream, before you can tell him to stop; a fist lands on her face. Jade’s lips part, blood spilling out of them. “You are a whore, Emerald! I thought you loved me!”

You are trembling, out of fear and anger. You never thought anger was something you could feel. Dad always told you, that anger wasn’t something you must feel. Anger is dangerous, it makes you do thing you will later regret.

But right now, you feel the acid in the pit of your stomach, the tears boiling in your cheeks, and the words about to become screams.

Only when you see the forceless eyes, looking straight at you, and her mouth twitching ever so slightly …She stars muttering something, you can’t hear over your own heart beating at the rhythm of a fast car. But the way her lips move, you are certain she’s saying, the same thing she always does.

‘Everything will be alright…’ Her lips move in slow motion, you view white around the corners. It’s difficult to breathe, as her tear filled face, moves to make something that completely breaks you.

She smiles.

“Emerald!” It’s the name the man is chanting, and you can’t hold back anymore.

“HER NAME IS JADE!” You roar. It pierces everything around you. Tears blurry your vision and you don’t care. You run towards him, knife in hand. You throw yourself at him, ready to pierce his skin with the blade…

You didn’t expect him to be so strong.

“What’s this?” He asks. Your knife is tossed far away from your reach. Jade is coughing, finally being able to breath.

“Don’t…Don’t hurt h-him…” Jade’s voice is the only thing to be heard. The grip of his hands, tightens around your wrist. You yelp. His strength is bruising you. The man’s eyes focus on Jade’s hands still clinging on the sweater

“Tell me, Emerald…” You try to hit him when he starts calling her by that name, again. That’s not her name! “Is this, the one, who promised you to set you free?”

Jade is not answering and you are glad she isn’t. He doesn’t deserve her answering anything.

“Let me go!” You scream, trying to break free. The man is huge, so it doesn’t help.

“So he is…”One of his hands go to your face. It creeps you, so you try to turn your face away from him. It doesn’t work. It only makes him force you to turn to him. “You know, my little Emerald…Normally, I would not tolerate it, but…To be honest…”

His grin widens, and you want to puke. Grossness crawls underneath your skin, while you try to fight back.

“Let him go…” Jade is crying. She’s in pain, everything in her is broken, the only thing she is left to do is beg. Still in the floor, unable to move and twitching from the pain, while she loses blood, she cries. “Please…”

“Emerald, aside from the eyes…This boys looks awfully like you, you know?”

Her eyes widen, and weak knees tremble, trying to stand up.

“N-no…Not him…” She is crying, her voice is breaking and little by little her eyes become more forceless. “Not him, please…”

You don’t understand. You are still screaming for him to let go. It’s useless, you know it, but you can’t stop trying.

The man laughs, and pushes you to the ground. You were scared of something breaking, but even if the pain is horrible, everything remains in place.

Around you, everything becomes blurry; the sounds become a little tuned down.

You barely hear Jade’s crying.

“Not him! Not him! Don’t touch him! You monster! ”

You turn around. Besides you, at mere meters from you, Jade is laying on the floor. Her little face looks so messed up, tears and snot mixing with the blood.

You try to give her a small smile.

You come back to your senses once your pants are pulled down.

Blood running cold, you stare at what the man is doing. You can’t move, but you are horrified as he starts moving.

“Don’t…” You beg him. You stare at him, trying to tell him to stop. “I don’t…Please, don’t…”

Something shatters when you hear him laugh.

“Yeah, beg like that…It’s such a turn on !”

A scream, not human, not animal, not anything escapes your throat. It leaves your throat raspy and you won’t be able to talk anytime soon because of the pain…But that doesn’t matter right now.

You now know how it feels to be torn opened from the inside. Something that doesn’t belong forcefully shoved inside you.

You scream, and scream, as the pain keeps tearing you apart. You nails scratch the floor, tears falling down, and your throat so raw your own screams come muffled.

He keeps moving, and you are scared.

“Stop…” You try to tell him, but your own voice is useless.

By the time you finally stop screaming, you can’t move. Everything under your belly hurts.

You can only hear the man’s laughter, but you can’t feel him, gladly. Your whole senses have gone dull.

Until, something warms touches your hand. You turn around, and you see Jade’s hand on yours. She’s crying, she’s saying something, but you can’t hear her.

By the way her lips move, you guess she’s saying ‘I’m sorry.’

You move your own lips, and try to force words out of them, but you don’t know if you are able. You don’t hear them, at least.

With a gentle smile, you tell her.

‘Don’t be. I protected you.’ You squeeze her hand gently, and give her a look, that you hope she gets because you can’t talk anymore.

‘Run. Hide.’

She stares at you horrified, but this time you won’t back down. You need to protect her.

“Hey, pretty boy!” The man calls, you don’t want to turn your head, so you give her one last pleading look. ‘Please.’ “Look at me!”

You are forced by his hands to do so, but in the corner of your eye you see Jade crawling away.

Swallowing your pride, you wrap your arms around his neck, bringing yourselves closer. You fight the urge to puke and the dirty feeling in your skin. From this side you see Jade, she managed to escape to the other side of the room. Maybe you could keep him entertained for a while, so her wounds heal. She’s looking at you, her face full of distress. You smile at her again, and mouth ‘Thank you.’

Tears fill her face again, and she’s about to cry.

Pain fills you again. You scream, something is wrong.

“I think, you are even cuter than you Emerald, pretty boy…”

Something moves in you, and you panic even more. He picks you up again, and slams you back in the floor.

Your legs ache, they have bruises and it just keeps getting hit. That’s when he lands the first punch.

Suddenly, you remember all the bruises, and all the blood in Jade’s body. Without a doubt, this man was the one who caused them.

“You will become mine, just like Emerald. I’ll make sure you don’t forget my shape, pretty boy!”

There’s a lot of liquid pouring down your legs, and the punches won’t stop. You feel like a rag doll, being used like this.

It feels kind of off. No longer having the grasp of the situation, your mind begins to drift into unconsciousness. There’s a moment where you turn your head a little, trying to see Jade, but what you see, makes you tremble.

Jade’s eyes, full anger and pain. She’s still crying, but looks like she’s barely holding herself from doing something.

At this point, you can’t even guess what. You are too dizzy, and too weak.

You face the man, saliva dripping from his mouth. Maybe, this scares you even more, the idea of him kissing you. As he draws his face, nearer and nearer, you start giving up hope. You would fight, if you had the strength to do so. 

At mere inches from your face, you close your eyes. For some reason, this is seems even grosser than the sex and pain.

 You don’t want this, you don’t want this, you don’t want this, please someone…

“I told you…” You gag when his lips almost meet yours, something stops him mid-way. “..Not to touch him.”

There’s a muffled scream, gags and you feel a lot of water in your face.

The coughing doesn’t stop, but the body on top of you is less and less heavy.

After everything goes still, you crack one eye open.

Jade is standing before you, the once sharp knife now dull in her hands. Her eyes are wide, staring at the man, in the floor.

“Jade?” You speak, she quickly throws the knife away. She’s trembling, and she watches you with sorry eyes.

“I…I didn’t mean…I was, just…” She whimpers, trying to wipe away her tears. You pass your hand against your cheek. As you expected, it's not water. 

“Jade.” You call her again, this time with a smile. You open your arms. They are shaking, you barely get over the fear of witnessing a murder, but you still open your arms.

Jade throws herself at you, crying. You pet her hair, because this is Jade. She didn’t kill someone just because. She did, because she was scared. She did it to protect you. You can’t bring yourself to turn away from her. You doubt she could ever do something that will make you turn away.

Finally, she stops crying, and she sits up. You smile to her, and she weakly, smiles back.

“We need to do something…” She says staring at the man. You nod. She clenches her fist, and then unclenches. She breathes in, and then out. She has it. You notice. She is not backing down now.

‘Tap, tap, tap.’ You hear, so does Jade. You don’t have the strength to get up, at least not yet. Jade goes there, and taps back.

She puts her ear against the wall.

“They are asking if we’re alright.” She says. “Do we tell them?”

You nod. Immediately, you don’t know why, but you trust them.  Jade seems to trust them too, because she doesn’t hesitate to answer back.

‘He’s dead.’ She says in the wall.

‘We know.’ Is what they answer.

“We?” You ask, but your voice comes out incredibly weak, barely over a whisper. You said ‘them’ because that’s the correct way to call someone when you don’t know if they are boy or girl, that’s what Dad told you, but you didn’t think they were more than one.

“They have a plan.”

“What?” You are surprised, but your voice still sounds way too weak, you fight back a cough.

“I’m not sure…”You crawl besides her, and put your ear on the wall. 

‘Escape.’

‘We help you’

‘Trust us’

“I’m not sure…” She says a little scared. “What if it’s a trap?”

You shake your head.

“They are good.” You cough a bit. Even with the softest sound it hurts. “I know.”

She nods.

“Okay, now. We need a plan to escape…” She stares at the door, deep in thinking, until her face lights ups. “I think I have an idea…Do you trust me?”

Without a single doubt, you nod.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I'm kind of sorry it took so long. It's longer than usual, but oh well. There's just one last chapter for John's part missing. It's taking forever to keep writing, but I hope I can continue this...


	5. Don't Close Your Eyes 4

This time, when the door opens, you aren’t scared.

Well, you are. If all this fails, you will surely end up dead or probably even worst. But this time, is not the same as the previous ones.

This time, there is hope.

You hide in the pile, just like all the other times. Jade and you dragged the body to a blind spot.

She’s standing up, in the center of the room. Her hair is a mess, and her feet are covered in blood. There’s a small puddle of it in the back, where the man fell dead.

She smiles at you, and mouths.

“We’ll never be back.”

You believe her.

The door opens.

The man standing in front of her paralyzes.

She doesn’t waste time.

She takes the knife from her back , and runs.

With the back of the knife, she hits the chest of the man, with enough force to make him back down.

With more time, Jade slashes the man’s throat. She still doesn’t stop. Finally with a forceful hit on the temple the man falls.

There’s a crack, and another slashing sound, of Jade opening the man’s chest.

Everything is messy, there’s a lot of blood, and there are still moans from the man’s mouth.

He’s still alive, but Jade completely ignores him.

“We don’t have much time.” She tells you. “We need to open the door.”

As far as Jade told you, the doors can’t be opened from the inside, but they can be opened form the outside quite easily.

You both manage to open the door, pulling with all the force you can.

You are prepared for everything.

Everything, except her.

She’s small, maybe your size, if not smaller. She has her blonde messy hair all over her , and cuts in her legs.

You freak out at her legs.

You run, trying to apply pressure to her wounds with your shirt.

“They’ll heal.” She tells you, taking your hands in hers. “Look.”

She points at the wall. There are instructions on them, written in blood.

You ignore her and go back trying to heal her.

“He’s stubborn.” Jade says. You can hear her smile. You see the girl sigh. Jade’s expression hardens. “Are you sure you can help us?

“Positive.” You end up tying a rag in her ankle, where the cuts are. She gets up, using the wall to rest. “First of all, we need to break free from confinement. The rest of  the children in the cells, need to be freed. No one can be left behind.”

“Why?” You ask, wincing when your throat keeps aching.

She raises an eyebrow, but looks straight to the door.

“This purgatory can’t be left standing.” It’s her answer. “This used to be a warehouse. In the back there’s still gasoline they used from before the war started. There’s not much use for them now, seen the turn this place has taken, but you can’t simply throw it away. In the main room, the second door to the left, you follow all the way down and there is a door, where it’s still kept. After we have escaped, I will return and set fire to it.”

“That’s way too dangerous.” Jade says, with eyes wide. “I can’t let you do that.”

“You need to.” She says, her eyes are sharp, and you realize that she's scared. “I won’t let this place keep standing…After all they did, I just can’t…”

“It’s okay…”You take her hand, and smile. “Everything will work out!”

You start coughing. Maybe you should stop talking for a while.

“We’ll drive you out of it later.” Jade sighs, patting your back a little. “None of that matters if we don’t escape.”

She nods.

“You are certainly, right. “ She turns to the wall. “This is the plan.”

* * *

The girl guards the entrance, making sure no one enters, while Jade and you open the cells.   


Most of the cells, you notice, are empty. Of the ten cells, only seven have kids, or at least, alive kids. Three of them with two, two with three and one with only one. Ten kids, not counting yourselves trapped in this cells.

The girl told you, that the people who guard this place, usually wait until the night to take people away.

“How do you know when is night?” You ask softly, because anything else will hurt your throat.

“My partner.” Her expression is grim. “My cell partner. Unfortunately, he’s been asked rather frequently…He knows more about the time outside than anyone because of this.”

Out of the ten kids, Jade is the bigger, and you could bet, also the oldest. You feel nauseous when you carry the eight years old girl in your arms, because she has long failed to walk. You take the nine years old boy hand, trying not to look at the missing teeth he has.

“Okay, everyone is out.” Jade says. She’s holding the hands of a pair of ten years old siblings. “Now what do we do?”

“Do you still have the knife?” The girl asks. Jade seems uncomfortable, but nods. “Good. Could you give it to me?”

She takes it out from her sweater, and hands it to the girl.

“What are you going to do?”

“This is the plan. Any time now, a man will enter the room. I will distract him, and you will use it as an opportunity to escape. You should know that before anyone comes in, you are left in the room alone. You will wait there until they open the doors. Jade, I will trust you to defend the kids.” She speaks. Jade nods. You wonder how this girl knows her name. You don't remember ever introducing yourselves. “Once I set fire to this place, everyone will be forced to leave this place.”

“No way!” You scream, but your throat betrays you, making it seem like a squeak. “What about you?”

“I need to search for my…I need to find my brother. He’s kept in another room.” She has a murderous look in her eyes. “Don’t worry, I’ll come back.”

You have a déjà vu, that’s something Jade used to say…Without hesitation, you nod. You believe her.

“Good, everyone must be prepared. This is the night…”

You let out a hold of breath, and stare at the door. The girl is standing in front, holding the knife behind her back, just like Jade had done. You are worried, but you choose to trust her.

The door opens, slowly. And you hear the girl sob in your ears.

“Don’t worry, little one…” You whisper as the light from the door begins to grow. “Everything will be fine…”

You are not sure who you’re telling this to.

The door opens and hell breaks loose, as the girl standing with an innocent look slashes the man. You close the boy’s eyes, and make the girl hide her face in your shoulder.

“Now!” You hear her scream. You run, with the ten kids behind you.

In the room, you fight the urge to puke. Everything is so gross, covered in red, and black. Blankets are the only thing covering the floor, and there are a lot of things you never knew they existed sprawled over them.

You search for Jade, who is faster than you. She’s already in the front door. You don’t know where she got it, but has a hammer in her hands. She no longer holds the siblings hands, she’s focused on protecting them.

When you reach the door, you make sure everyone is fine.

“To the other side of this room…” She whispers. “There must be five men, at least.”

“You sure you can do this?” You ask her worriedly.

“No.” She answer. She gives you a broken, but sincere smile. “But I need to.”

She opens the door.

They all freeze.

There are seven men. Only two of them seem to be the guards.

Jade holds the hammer in front of her.

“Nobody moves.” She says. “Or I won’t hesitate to open your skull.”

You are scared of Jade, so serious and deadly .

“Oh, isn’t that you, Emerald?” A man gets closer. “Didn’t Joe buy you? What are you doing here?”

He tries to touch Jade, but before he can do it, she smashes the hammer down in his hand. He screams, in agony. But you have heard louder screams, filled with more pain, and more heart breaking.

“You bitch!” Someone screams. You lay down the kid, and take the nearest thing you can find. A bottle. You remember the movies, and smash it down, making it break.

“Everyone stay back!” Jade yells, and starts punching everyone with her hammer, and fist.

You stand in front of the kids, hiding them with your body and broken bottle.

Anyone who tries to get near you, you start fighting them back.

When Jade knocked unconscious one of the guys, two stepped back.

“I have been your puppet for a very long time…” She glares. “I rather die than turn back into that hell!”

She screams, and starts hitting like a madman.

“Run!” A familiar voice screams. You turn back to see the girl’s distressed face. “The fire is spreading! Run!”

At the sound of fire, the five men ran. The guards hesitated, but apparently they valued their lives more.

Jade took the children in her arms, and started running.

You were about to do the same, when you saw the girl turn back.

“Hey!” You called her. You took her hand, stopping her from going back.

“My brother is still inside…” She tells you with the saddest look ever. “I came to warn you, but I need to go back…”

Your eyes are wide. There’s someone still inside. There’s someone inside, with the fire.

“Jade!” You scream, even if your voice barely holds. She comes running. She looks distressed. “I’m going back. Take her outside!”

As soon as Jade takes her hand you run.

“No!” The girl screams. “It’s my brother! I need to go back!”

“I will bring him back!” You tell her with a smile.  “Take care of Jade if I don’t! Please!”

You barely hear Jade’s scream. The fire is catching quickly, how funny.

How funny, you can still hear her voice calling you.

“Don’t please! Come back! Don’t go in there! John! John!”

Was that your name? Funny, you don’t remember ever telling them your name. You wonder how she knows…

You name is JOHN, and you are going to save Rose’s brother.

Doesn’t matter if you die trying.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally finished this chapter. Sorry if it's really lame, but i tried the best i could !


	6. Play With Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "A house of red light;  
> Burns like your wanting eyes;  
> The rain is away;  
> And we say;  
> When we say;  
> We will play with fire;  
> We will play with fire."  
> -Playing With Fire (Birthday Massacre)

So this is how it ends?

You never guessed it would be like this. Sure, the corpse besides you is not really a surprise, and the resting on it, was Goth Girl’s prediction.

Long ago, you gave up the idea of dying in a not sexual way. Like, currently just after being raped, being stabbed or tried to be hit to death.

The fire is the surprise, but you guess it gives a dramatic effect.

It’s almost midnight. You are not sure how you know it, you just know.

You are scared, but not for you. Well, part of you is scared for you, but mostly, you are scared for Goth Girl, and for the other kids that are in here. You won’t be able to help them, and maybe they’ll die in the cells, or worst even, being used like they are no more than objects.

The fire started when they were using you in this ‘special place’. Of course, it’s only another room, that the one who organizes all this hell uses for his favorite ‘toys’ as he calls you. You were used to being taken here. For some weird reason, they thought you were better suited for this. You can only guess from what they say, that is your ‘exotic looks.’ An albino kid maybe is a turn on, or whatever the fuck they might have thought. Also, the fact that you are a boy seems to help. You can’t get pregnant like the girls, and in their words ‘It has some kind of thrill to be doing it with a boy.’

What a bunch of fucked up brains.

The obvious idiot didn’t notice the fire until the screams began outside. He tried to run, but you decided to take that on your advantage. Taking the bat that was lying near, you hit him right on the head.

Unconscious, the man was no longer a threat, but you realized that you had nowhere to escape. The walls were already swallowed by the flames, and everything was crumbling.

Your first reaction was to run. Because no matter what, you needed to save Goth Girl. You barely managed to reach the door, before falling. The floor was burning, scalding your feet. The smoke in your lungs made it impossible for you to breathe. No matter how much you tried, you couldn’t move.

“Goddamnit!” You had cried. Because you didn’t want it to end like this. Not you- you didn’t give half a shit about yourself- but because of Goth Girl. She didn’t deserve to die in a place like this. You promised, to save her. To take her away from this hell.

At that time it had been a joke, but you wouldn’t back down on your promise. Not ever.

 You crawled, as far as you could, but all you could manage to do was rest a little nearer to the door. Eventually you gave up. You still try to move every moment, but you will never reach Goth Girl in time.

You remember Goth Girl’s face, and you laugh. Her freckled face and the piece of shit you got her to use as a headband, that she uses ‘ironically’ or something like that. You know she likes it; otherwise she wouldn’t be using it.

 She was a fucking pain in the ass to deal with, but she was the best you could have asked in this place. With her weird jokes, and sassy attitude, she usually made you forget what was going on. You remember how you two joked, and how she made you feel better with her sharp tongue.

 She refused to tell you her name when you asked her, but you couldn’t give her yours either. You didn’t remember. Even now, you don’t. How lame to die without remembering your own name.

This is the worst.

You are crying, but you can’t help it.

Once upon a time, you had a home. Maybe not the best home, maybe a little weird, and with a violent guardian, but it was a home. You had a roof under which you could live, and someone to take care of you. In their weird and obnoxious way, but right now, you could even go crawling right back to Bro, if it meant leaving this place.

If it meant living.

“Shit…” You curse, while you cry. The flames are growing, and it’s hurting you more each painful passing second.

You rest your head against the wall. The tears won’t stop coming, and the pain is so awful (In your legs, in your hips, in your back, in your everything.) and sincerely, you don’t know what to do.

You cry, hoping your death will be fast, and not so painful. You close your eyes, and try to dream. Dream of a place where you and Goth Girl can be safe.

This stupid war fucked up everything. You are not even entirely sure what happened for this shit to begin . Just one day, the streets were dangerous. Everyone was taking sides, and when you went outside, there was the probability of you getting, either mugged or killed. You remember Bro telling you ‘It’s nothing. It’s stupid and will pass.’ Looking back, you want to kill him, because everything he ever did to you, was lie.

But then, you met Goth Girl. Even if she was a little weird, she was honest. She made you laugh, with her wicked sense of humor. She was there to help you, when you literally had nothing else. When you were left butt naked, she came and protected you, with that tiny body of hers. You wanted to protect her too. You wanted to be there for her. Because even if she was a pain, she was still everything you had, and she understood you like nobody else.

 You want to see her, resting her head on you. Forgetting the pain, even if it’s for a short while. In the back of your mind, you can still see her, with a smile that sends shivers down your spine, because she’s scary. Not in a bad way really. It is scary how she can read you like an open book, but you know she would never hurt you. She never did, even if she was completely able to. Not even at the end of the world could you read her expressions. So composed and cold, but warm when she was with you.

 “Rose…” You sob, as you curl up, scared that you might never see her again.

You let out a moan, and you cry, because you want to see her again. You want to sleep on her lap as she makes up stupid stories, about wizards and ghost that doesn’t really make sense but it doesn’t really matter either, because you are not listening, and she knows it. She’s just making things up, not caring if they’re accurate. She’s more focused on keeping you from hearing the moans, and the screams. You don’t care about how much it sound of bullshit because it’s her voice, because she’s Goth Girl and…Shit!

You cry. You want to see her again. You really do.

The only thing you can hear right now, is your own gross sobbing and the fire burning the wood.

Why weren’t you there for her?

You keep crying, trying to hide your tears, but no one is watching, so it’s useless.

Eventually, you stop crying. Not because you are done, but because you are tired. All the energy is drained from you.

‘Tap, tap, tap.’

That sounds soothes you, as you stop breathing as regularly as you would want.

With that gentle tap, a little above the cracking sound of the wood, you can hear something…

 “Hush now my story…”

You hear a weird voice. The lyrics are familiar, but the voice sounds off.

Memories come flooding you, of the times you passed with Goth Girl…

Where did you hear that song?

You try to get up, but it’s a little painful.

“Stay awake and breathe.”

It becomes a little louder, making its way across the fire.  

“Waltzing the waves! Diving the deep!” It’s screaming, more than singing. But you are sure that you know that song. Who sang it? It’s confusing, because you can’t stay fully awake right now. “Stars are shining bright! The wind is on the rise!”

You know it. You know that song.

Even if your body hurts, you say loudly so they hear you.

“Whispering words of long lost lullabies…”

The sound of a lot of things being moved, and footsteps keep you awake.

“Oh won’t you come with me!” The voice screams, their voice is trembling. They are as scared as you.  “Where the moon is made of gold!”

“And in the morning sun…” You say. For some reason, you find it easier to bare the pain like this. “We’ll be sailing…”

“Free!” It screams even louder. Things keep getting moved, and footsteps are louder.

You smile. This feels familiar, like you have done it all your life.

“Oh, won’t you come with me…” You say, not singing. It still hurts to sing.

“Where the ocean meets the sky!” The sounds become louder. They are getting nearer. “Please! Keep singing! Stay awake! Please! Rose is waiting!”

There’s a coughing fit. It sounds incredibly painful, as it seems to open the throat in half.

Rose?

Rose!

“And as the clouds roll by!” You scream, because you remember. You remember Rose. Goth Girl: Rose. She’s waiting. “I’m here!”

Suddenly, the door is opened, and in that place, you see an angel.

There’s an angel who came to save you from this hell. To take you were Rose is.

He has tired eyes, a hand that has blisters, and a smile that only an angel can make.

“We'll sing the song of the sea!” He stretches his hand, taking yours even when it hurts.  His hand is warm, but well, you are in middle of a fire.

In the back of your mind, buried in the smoke of the fire, you remember this voice. This song. The memory of Rose singing, while you rest in her lap. Various voices in the small cell, echoing like a lullaby. Somehow, you are able to sleep. Even if Rose’s voice is strained she doesn’t stop singing, and she smiles, in that creepy way of hers.

He pulls you out, and starts taking steps. You trip, unable to stand up.

You’re about to tell him you can’t walk, when he stops. He realized it before you told him.

You can’t walk. Your legs are bruised, and everything hurts.

He kneels, so you can climb on his back.

In normal situations, you would have refused, but right now, who the fuck cares?

You are tired, you are about to faint, and you are scared. He carries you all the way outside.

Of course, halfway through it, you fell asleep.

It was hard not to, when you felt weak, and you were resting in the back of an angel.

“You are so funny!” He laughs, and then starts coughing again. “But sadly, I am not an angel!”

“You are. Shut up…”

“Whatever you say.” You hear him roll his eyes. “Hey! Don’t fall asleep!”

He shakes you, but you refuse to open your eyes.

“No. You’re comfy. Way more than Goth Girl’s lap.”

“I’ll take pride on that!” He laughs, but soon again, he’s coughing. What’s with this guy’s coughing fits? “Rose will be so jealous!”

“I’m trying to sleep, here.” You tell him.

“I told you not to!” He scolds you. Wow, angels are mean. “I’m not an angel and I’m not mean! You need to stay-!”

There he goes coughing again. This time though, it hears worst. It sounds like his throat is cut in a half.

“Are you alright?” You ask him.

“Go to sleep, Dave…” He tells you, with a super weird voice. That’s the last thing you hear him say, before falling asleep.

“Thanks, John.”

Your name is DAVE, and there is no better place to fall asleep than an angel’s back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And sorry it took so long, im dying here.   
> aNYWAY here's (finally) the start of the ships (kinda)  
> yeah, sorry for this being too short, but hey, its not easy to finish this shit when you are failing physics.


	7. Soundless Voice

The first thing you do when you see them come out of the purgatory is to fall.

  
Knees in the earth and hugging yourself as you watched the building burn. Everything was painted by the smoke. The only thing of color seemed to be the fire, and the blood in your dress, and her sweater. She held to the sleeves of it, like they could give her the warmth she needed.

  
You had hugged Jade, while she cried in your arms. She was fighting you to let her go so she could run to the building.  
“I should go in!” She kept saying, but you somehow managed her to stay with you. You knew better. If she entered, there was a high chance she didn’t come out. She was weak, weaker than you first realized. You shouldn’t have sent her fight, it had been stupid. All this idea had been idiotic, really.

  
You, over all are really, really stupid.

  
Back home, you were known for the collected girl who knew how to handle every situation the right way. Never let her emotions take the better of her, always making the best decisions based on cold knowledge.

  
Everyone knew that if they had a problem, they should run to Rose (You wonder if that was your name before. That’s your name now, but was it always?) Because she could see through everything and know what you should do so everything turned out fine.

  
But back then, you used to know so little of the world. You were so blind, and the only world you knew, was your house in New York, and the few towns in the Adirondack Park.  
Now you are standing in the streets, ragged dress and messy long hair burnt in the edges, looking at the big building catching fire.

  
You feel impotent at the sight before you. It’s horrible how everything is your fault. You took the kids as far you could, but stayed with Jade as near as you were able to.

  
The streets are empty, save from some cars and wild animals still living near. It’s so weird to see them like this.  
In your memory, you still have fresh the image of people running in the streets, and chatting outside the stores. Smiling bright, the old lady who used to give you lollipops when your Mom came for supplies, is still in the same spot in the corner, as always. The child, who played in the playground with his football, is still waving at you from underneath the big tree, as you pass to go to school.

  
Everything seems the same, yet when you open your eyes, there’s nothing.

  
Chills run down your spine, as you stare at the empty stores, with broken glasses. The old lady is nowhere to be seen, but the air around her store, still smells like fruity lollipops. The child is crying, searching for his mother. You saw her on the floor, with a gun next to her head, as she cried for them to leave her child alone. The men shot the gun, even when she only asked for her child to live. Next morning he’s not in the playground. The ball is still there, under the big tree that has been cut down.  
It’s like watching the war all over again.

  
You fight back a sob, and the urge to stop breathing so everything just stops.

  
You should have planned this better, but you were so angry and so filled with rage, that you didn’t stop to think the consequences.

  
You just wanted to save him and escape this place. You were so angry at all the people who did this, you wanted to watch them burn under the light. But it ended up swallowing innocents. Of course it would! It’s fire! It won’t save who you want; it will kill everyone who can burn.

  
Everyone who can burn…

  
Everything is your fault. You are going to lose everything you hold dear, once again.

  
Dave is in danger because you were too careless to think twice. You are going to lose the closest thing you have had, since this war took Mom.

  
Also, John. You caused so much harm to someone who only gave you kindness, when you felt the worst.   
“This is my entire fault…”You sob, hugging Jade as tight as you can. She stops moving. “I should have been more careful! Dave is in danger! John is in danger! I want them to return!”

  
You expect Jade to punch you, to hurt you. You expect her to scream at you, and insult you, without you even fighting back. Because she warned you and she was right. She tried to make you rethink things, and you still did it, anyways.  
She is the reason everything didn’t turn out in a tragedy. She kept the kids safe, fighting men twice her size, triple her age, putting her life at risk, and you repaid her with loosing John, her dearest person.

  
You are prepared to receive her worst punch, filled with hatred.

  
But she doesn’t.

  
“Maybe it is. But don’t beat yourself for that.” She looks at you in the eyes. She’s so tall she needs to kneel to do so. A soft big hand strokes your face. The kindest smile ever is shown in her face, making you feel better. “John and Dave are strong.”  
She lets you bury your face in her chest, and you breathe.

  
“Your soul is too kind.”

  
She laughs, and shakes her head.

  
“I’m not!” She sighs, like she remembered something. “I’m just treating you like a normal person…”  
You stare at her eyes.

  
“I might have forgotten how it felt…” You whisper. She smiles gently.

  
“Me too…John always made me remember though…”

  
You don’t dare to say anything else.

  
Breathing as slowly as you can, and with Jade’s hand brushing your long blonde hair, you calm down.

  
“We need to get a grip, you know?” She says. You look up at her. “The kids. They need us.”

  
You turn your head, looking at the ten kids sitting on the streets. Pale faces, weak limbs and blood in their tights. Most of them are girls, some others are boys. Either way they looks so tiny, they might break if they are hold. Three girls, and one boy don’t have teeth, Jade told you. It makes you sick to think people like that exist. There is a girl who can’t walk anymore. Not weak or bruised legs. She will never walk again, her bones are broken. The siblings hold their hands, eyes lost in the distance. Not daring to let go, fearing that if they did, they would never meet again. An eight years old girl has her belly swollen; you need to take her quickly to the hospital, if there is even one near. A boy sits in the back, holding a girl in his lap. She can’t be more than nine, with that tiny body. The boy is crying, the girl’s eyes are lost. You think she has either gone blind, or can’t feel anything anymore.

  
They had their childhood striped away. You need to help them.

  
The images of your home town return, like telling you ‘This could happen again.’ But instead of pushing them back, you accept them.

  
Things might have turned bad in the past, but you need to get a grip. You are not the same like that time. You are no longer a pure, naïve girl who tries to find her Mom. You can no longer seek for someone to rely on, and trust the first adult who is somewhat kind.

  
This time, you need to be strong. You need to guide these kids, so they don’t end up as messed up as you did.  
You are surprised when a gentle hand takes yours.

  
“You are not alone anymore, Rose.” She smiles. You feel warm with her words.

  
‘I’m not alone anymore.’ You think.

  
“Miss…” A little kid catches your attention. You kneel down to see her in the eyes, and listen properly to her weak voice. “There’s something coming out from the building.”

  
You turn around fast, taking Jade’s hand. She prepares the hammer covered in blood, and you cling to the knife. Maybe, it’s nothing, but if some kind of asshole was able to escape that thing, you won’t let them live.

  
Jade is the first to drop the hammer, covering her mouth with her hands, as tears run down her cheeks. Her whole face is wet, and from where you are standing, you can see the smile in her mouth. You can’t blame her; your own eyes are starting to water.

  
She runs, breaking free of the shock in mere seconds. She runs so fast, you think she’s teleporting. Maybe the tears are making little gaps in your vision, and that’s why you barely see her move.

  
The person coming out of the building sees her too. As soon as he’s far away from the fire, he drops to the ground, knees hitting the earth, too weak to keep going. Jade is next to him in mere seconds, pulling him up and hugging him while she cries. A big smile in her face, that breaks because of the tears.

  
“John!” She screams, making you shake off the shock for a tiny bit. She hugs him tight, like he’s an illusion that would disappear if she didn’t cling to him hard enough. “You are safe! John! John! You are safe! You are safe!”

  
That’s the only thing you can hear her cry as she sobs in him. Your legs move. You know because the scenery is changing, and their figures become bigger, but you don’t feel yourself moving. Your vision blurry and you don’t realize the pain in your bare feet as you run down the scalding streets. You don’t feel the pain when you fall, and scrap your knees. You don’t care how you are bleeding, and how your wounds open. You can’t feel your legs, and how they barely have the strength to get you to stand up. Right now, there’s only one thing that matters. Before you can think what you are doing, you are already running.  
Seconds for you, as your heart beats as fast as your legs move, you get by their side. For what feels like hours you stare at him, his head buried in Jade’s arms. His breathing seems normal, but he’s weak everywhere. They hear you, and he looks up at you. At that moment, you fall to your knees. Were it another time you would have hissed in pain, but now, you don’t care. You stare at his blue eyes, looking at you with curiosity and some sweetness you never thought possible. Taking his face in your hands, tears blurry your sight.

  
“Thank you.” It’s the only thing you manage to choke out, fighting back your sobs. He just smiles, big and bright. Kinder and sweeter than Jade’s. It almost makes you break down. You stare at his back, a figure bigger than him, sleeping soundly. It makes you tear down in relief, seeing his chest go up and down, light breathing.

  
You would thank every god in the universe, but right now, John is the biggest one for you.

  
Dave is fine. He’s hurt, bruised and some burns in his sensitive skin, but he’s alive. And that’s everything you could have asked for.

  
Brushing his hair off of his face, you sob with a smile. He’s smiling while sleeping, and you wonder how long has it been for him, since he dreamed in peace. Maybe never. You rest your head against his, breathing as slowly as you can. He smells like smoke and sex, but you keep breathing him in. Because down all of that, there’s still the smell of apple juice you became so familiar with.

  
“Thank you.” You say again, sobbing while you hug him. “Thank you!”

  
How weird. You don’t remember ever crying. Not since this war started. Not even when you lost Mom.

  
At that time, you were scared, and angry. You didn’t have time to cry, you needed to find her and hurt those who took her. You still couldn’t believe this was happening, so you didn’t allow yourself to cry. In the cells, or even when they raped you, you were too proud to cry in front of those people. You promised yourself never to show them your weaknesses. When you saw Dave crying in pain as he took your place, got beaten and hurt beyond healing, you needed to be strong. You didn’t cry.  
Right now, you are crying, because you don’t have to be proud or strong anymore. You are lost, and scared, but you have Dave. Stupid, ugly and dumb asshole Dave that protected you. John and Jade are there too, but you don’t have to be strong with them either. You sigh and let out something in between a laugh and a sob.

  
You are lost and scared, but you are not alone anymore.

  
Weirdly, you don’t feel lost and scared anymore.  
You cry because you are not alone.

  
Hugging Dave as tight as you can you smile tears still rushing down your face.

  
“You are not alone anymore, Rose.” Jade smiles. John smiles too, his hand taking yours. Covered in blisters, his hand is warm, and kind. Jade takes yours too, shielding you three with her figure. You cry even harder.

  
Your name is ROSE, and you are not alone anymore

**Author's Note:**

> Maybe it's not as 'mature' as the tags make it seem, but really better be safe ?


End file.
